Background: Surveys of community-based programs are difficult to conduct when there is virtually no information about the number or locations of the programs of interest. This article describes the methodology used by the Helping Young Smokers Quit (HYSQ) initiative to identify and profile community-based youth smoking cessation programs in the…

Although widely available, little is known about the effectiveness of youth cessation treatments delivered in real-world settings. The authors recruited a nonprobability sample of 41 community-based group-format programs that treated at least 15 youth per year and included evidence-based treatment components. Data collection included longitudinal…

An expectancy-value procedure is developed for delineating the nature of interagency relationships during the operation of a youth-serving agency. Advantages of this approach are presented. (Author/GK)

Two program goals were: (1) providing a community-based alternative for arrested juveniles who otherwise would have been referred to the juvenile justice system; and (2) reducing juvenile delinquency. Results from various measures indicated the program had little success in decreasing referrals but produced positive delinquency reduction effects.…

Previous research on program implementation is integrated and extended to form a participatory approach to evaluating program implementation. This method focuses on the continuous active involvement of program developers, managers, and staff in the evaluation process. The methodology is applied to an actual program to highlight the steps involved.…

The methodology and design of the process evaluation system of the Pawtucket Heart Health Program (an 11-year project for changing/documenting change in cardiovascular disease risk status of a northeastern city's residents) are described. Examples of the system's use are provided. The maintenance of such a system without substantial evaluation…

After a brief discussion of the terms implementation and monitoring, this article illustrates a strategy for monitoring program implementation. The strategy, called model-guided method, offers a way to develop conceptual and empirical specifications for testing the adequacy of a program implementation. It also provides feedback to program…

In 2003, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) provided Florida's Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) with a $3.5 million grant to design and implement a faith- and community-based program for incarcerated juveniles. Florida's experience developing a completely new program has provided valuable lessons regarding…

The 11 programs and sites participating in the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Intensive Supervision Demonstration Project are described. The demonstration was designed to assess the effects and costs of sentencing convicted felons to community-based programs. The evaluation by the Rand Corporation and data collection methods and random…

Six articles are presented on the use of human subjects in research on acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Topics include the ethics of human experimentation, female and pediatric AIDS patients, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and AIDS among correctional inmates, community-based AIDS research, and clinical trials of HIV…

Ten steps, generally following the scientific method, are identified and explained to assist the performance of a cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) study. Benefit-cost analysis (BCA) is compared to CEA, and implications of using CEA are discussed. (Author/LMO)

The Teaching Family Model (TFM) of delinquency treatment has evolved into a national network of community-based behaviorally oriented group homes. A longitudinal summative evaluation of TFM homes and comparison groups from the same or neighboring communities was mounted, and the results of a five year cost-effectiveness study are presented.…

The use of nonparametric quartile regression in examining the impacts of social programs on the distributions of noncategorical outcome measures is demonstrated through the study of earnings effects and income effects in four evaluations of training and employment programs for welfare recipients. Distributional impact estimates yield estimates…

Evaluation findings of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Community Demonstration Program show few clear indications of the effectiveness of case management approaches. This article identifies phenomena that explain the lack of positive effects and suggests that evaluation problems may explain apparent negative…

A survey of 43 high school principals about the usefulness of feedback reports generated through the evaluation of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation's Community Health Promotion Grants Program suggests that principals found the reports very valuable in a number of ways, especially in designing and implementing programs. (SLD)